Buckeye Breakdown: Ace in The Fold

Following the loss to Iowa where there was very little creativity and near-criminal lack of carries for the Buckeye running backs, the Ohio State offense made the most of the mandate issued by Urban Meyer to run the ball.

Meyer mentioned the use of a standard draw in his post-game press conference following the 48-3 dismantling of Michigan State last weekend.

It was a play we have not seen this season, but it was proof the offensive brain trust is actively searching for ways to get the running backs the ball while taking away the read option from J.T. Barrett.

Opposing teams are making a concentrated effort to force Barrett to keep the ball in read-option situations, and this simple draw takes Barrett out of the play all together.

While the Buckeyes remain a predominately read option team, the addition of a simple draw will continue to keep teams off balance.

The key to the play was the combination of pass protection and a “Fold” block, or in this case, an “Ace Fold” because it involved the center down blocking first before Michael Jordan “folded” around Price to advance to the second level defender.

This scheme has been around for years, but typically the Buckeyes utilize a standard “Ace” block where Price double teams the defensive tackle before climbing to the second level.

In this edition of Buckeye Breakdown, we take an in-depth look at a typical draw play and how this simplistic approach will continue to supplement the other aspects of the offense.